


Last Dance

by Distantcowboysounds



Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Drug Use, First Love, Friendship/Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-17
Packaged: 2021-03-02 01:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23696863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Distantcowboysounds/pseuds/Distantcowboysounds
Summary: The stress of an upcoming mission has Neren seeking out comfort through his dear commander and best friend, Sorndil. The men seek comfort and escape within each other, planning a future that is just out of their grasps.
Relationships: Viaiss(OC) / Neren(OC)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	Last Dance

The soft scratching of quill against paper and the chirping of crickets songs were the only sounds to be heard in the warm night. Sorndil sat in his tent hunched over an oaken desk as he wrote a letter to his superior. Focusing on the note to distract himself from the restlessness he felt.

4E 41,  
Tomorrow my regiment will march into Sentinel to find and kill the refugees. We have been told they are hiding in the slums of the city, waiting on a boat to take them to Daggerfall. So far we have at least 38 confirmed refugees, 24 adults, and 14 children. I-

The shuffling of his tent door pulled the commander’s attention away from his writing. “Sorndil, you awake?” The voice was familiar, holding a deep comfort behind it. An Altmer soldier poked his head in, smiling widely to see the other was still awake at such an hour.

“You know that you should be asleep and that leaving quarters this late is against the code. I could write you up for this Neren.” While Sorndil spoke with a serious tone his face wore a soft smile as he stood to greet the man. “Did anyone see you sneak out?”

The other mer walked into the tent and quickly hugged the other. “Of course not, you know how careful I am. Stop doubting me so much.” He spoke with a playful tone but they both knew how serious it would be if they were caught, a commander and a soldier in such a relationship wasn’t unheard of. But between two men would have them tortured until they repented their feelings. Though the thoughts and stress of the night seemed to melt away as Sorndil accepted the embrace, resting his head on the other's shoulder. He wrapped his arms around the other man’s waist and let out a deep sigh. A soft purr escaped his throat as Neren ran his fingers through his long sandy hair, gently pulling it free from its hold. “I missed you…” Neren whispered, placing a soft kiss against the tip of the man's ear.

Sorndil leaned into the feeling, happy to be in his friend’s embrace. “I know, I’ve missed you too. Been so much to do to prepare the troops for tomorrow. Check the armor, make sure the soldiers know their marks, get the mages ready and well-rested, mentally prepare them for what’s to come, research the city layout-”

The commander’s words were stopped by the feeling of lips against his own, he breathed out through his nose and pressed into the kiss. A smile pulled at his lips as the other pulled away. “Shut up Sorndil, don’t talk about tomorrow. How are you feeling?”

He pulled away from his friend’s embrace and moved to sit on the cot, giving his arms a stretch. “Restless. I can’t sleep no matter how hard I try.” He tapped his foot on the ground anxiously as he watched his friend scan over the letter he had previously been writing. “Been thinking about the future too much.”

Neren turned away from the desk and knelt down in front of the other, placing his hands on the man’s knees. “How so?”

Sorndil sighed heavily, leaning forward so he was touching foreheads with his friend. “Been thinking bout us, about this…” He looked into the other’s eyes, gently running fingers over the others hands. “You know we won’t be able to keep this going. I’m going to be married once we return to the Isles and it's been getting risky, I mean, us being men and…” He let his voice trail off as he looked to the dirt below them.

“I know… I know…” Neren replied, giving the mer’s knee a tight squeeze. “Maybe we should run away. Start a new life. Do you remember how beautiful Elsweyr was? Maybe we can find a place there.” 

Sorndil laughed a little at his friend’s offer. “Oh and we’d have to change our names too, you’ve always looked more like a Hirilin than a Neren to me.”

“Oh, Hirilin! I like that, what about you my friend? I think you look like…” He paused with a hum as he looked over Sorndil’s face. “I think you look like a Viaiss.” They laughed with each other, holding hands like a pair of young lovers. Sorndil thought about how right it felt to be with his friend like this, holding each other and making up little fantasies about a future they knew wouldn’t happen. There was a sadness that hung around the pair, but it was fun and it made all the stress of tomorrow feel like it was years away.

“And what will we be in Elsweyr? Mercs maybe? Or would we join a guild?”

Neren nodded before standing, striking a dramatic pose. “Ya know I’ve always wanted to be a monster hunter! We could go and hunt vampires, werewolves, clear caves of necromancers that are tormenting the local villages!” Sorndil laughed as he was pulled to his feet by his friend’s tight grasp. “Or maybe we could hide away, have our own little home. A farm.”

“Imagine us as farmers. We’d be dead by Frost Fall. But monster-hunting would be fun, we could be the bane of all evil creatures.” He smiled and put his hands on either side of his friend’s face, rubbing his thumb over old scars as he looked into fiery eyes. “As long as you’re with me, I don’t care what we do. We could be beggars in the streets of Vvardenfell and I'd still be just as happy.” He sighed and pressed a kiss to his lover’s lips before a wave of reality washed over him. That could never happen… You have a fiance waiting for you, a planned life ahead of you. Running away isn’t an option. Stop dreaming Sorndil. “If only we could…” 

“Well… let’s pretend. For tonight, okay?” Neren gave a warm smile to the other. “Tonight I’m Hirilin, a renowned monster hunter and loved by many. And you are Viaiss, my lover and one of the best warriors in the whole of Nirn.” Sorndil returned the others' smile with his own, though a lining of sadness sat with his.

“Alright… Hirilin, what are we doing tonight?"

The other smiled and pressed a kiss to the man’s cheek. "Let’s share a dance, to celebrate our love."

Sorndil- no... Viaiss laughed softly. "A dance it is then." He took his friend’s hand in his own while the other rested on the man’s waist. "You know I’ve never been much of a dancer though."

The other mer smiled brightly, giving a squeeze to Viaiss' hand. "Neither am I, but I’m sure we can figure it out." Neren, no, Hirilin. Hirilin placed his hand onto the other’s shoulder, slowly beginning to sway side to side and humming a soft tune.

The dance was clumsy, each man stepping on the other’s foot and nearly tripping several times. But it wasn’t a concern of theirs. With every misstep and stumble the pair laughed a little, peppering each other with gentle kisses. Every worry for tomorrow, for the rest of their lives, washed away as they danced with another.

“I never want this to end…” Viaiss mumbled against the other’s neck, taking in his scent. The way this man made him feel was unlike anything he’d experienced before, no woman had made his heart feel like it was filled with butterflies. No woman’s touch had ever sent sparks along his body before. No woman had ever made him feel so deeply.

The hand on his shoulder ran up to caress the side of his face gently. “Me neither. I hate the Isles so much… there’s nothing wrong with us, with this. I wish… I wish we weren’t Altmer.” The words resonated so deeply with him, the Altmer were such a harsh race. If anyone found out about their relationship the men would be tortured until they were half dead, and if they were lucky they'd be thrown in jail after. Viaiss shuttered at the idea, he’d felt a lash from a fire whip before and he’d never forget the feeling for as long as he lives. If that's how the Thalmor dealt with a Soldier missing a step in a march… what did they do to those caught breaking the law? 

“I… I don't like it either...“ He let out a deep sigh as he looked up to the other mer, running his hand over the man's long ear. “It seems like every other race can accept two men in a relationship, but not our own. If only things were different… But they aren't, this is what we were given. We have to live like this.”

The other's ears flattened as he shook his head. “No we don't. We could change, we could run away, start a new life.” His heart ached as he watched tears brim in the others eyes. “We could leave tonight.”

“Neren, oh Neren… You know what would happen if we ran. We would be hunted, the bounty the Thalmor would put on our heads… My family wouldnt rest until we were both dead.” He ran his fingers over the teary eyed mer’s cheeks, leaning close to press a kiss against his lips. “Gods know how badly I want to run with you, but I… if my family wasn't so important I would.” He looked into the others intense orange eyes, immense pain filling his chest. “I love you, I always will. You know that right?”

“I know, I know my friend. I'm sorry I just wish there was a way where we could actually be more than this.” He shook his head gently. “I don't want to ruin this moment. Let’s just focus on the here and now.” He gave a smile, a thin veil to hide the sadness. “Can you do one thing though?” The commander nodded as he looked at his friend. “Promise that I’ll be the only man you ever share a dance with? I know you’ll have to dance with your wife… but I want to be the only man that can dance with you. I just...”

That broke the mer, he pulled his friend into a tight embrace planting a loving kiss on the man's lips. They stayed like that for a long while. “Of course. I would never dream of dancing with any other man then you. Not that I know any other men I could dance with even if I wanted to.” He gave a loving look to his friend, a smile pulling at his lips. “We’re supposed to be celebrating, right Hirilin?”

The other laughed softly. “That’s right Viaiss. We were celebrating after slaying an entire den of vampires.”

“Yes! Tough work that was, I think we deserve a reward. How lucky of us that the local Khajiit were so kind as to pay us in Skooma.” He smiled slyly, moving away from his friend to dig into a chest, pulling a diary out. Though this one sat with blank pages, a cutout where there should’ve been notes and stories of battle. Viaiss pulled a small pink bottle from the cutout before disregarding the book back onto a pile of clothing. He smiled at the other mer, pulling the cap free from the bottle. The scent of moon sugar filled the room, causing both mer’s mouths to water.

Hirilin made his way over as he spoke. “Great idea Viaiss! I’m sure it will help us relax our muscles after fighting off a hundred bloodsuckers and saving the local priestess.” He took the bottle before taking half of it down. “The Khajiit are so kind.” Viaiss laughed a little as he took the bottle back and finished it off. 

“Great idea indeed. Now let's sit before it hits.” Though he intended to sit on the bed, Hirilin pulled him to a rug that laid over the dirt. He didn't object to the idea, though he knew where it was heading. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. If we wrestle I plan on winning.” A laugh left the commander’s lips as he grabbed the other’s wrists and pushed him flat to the ground.

The men laughed as they rolled around on the ground, grabbing at each other's hands and clothing to try to get the other pinned. Viaiss ended up sitting on Hirilin's thighs before the wave of euphoria hit and he fell onto the other man's chest. Dizzy, but beyond happy. "I… winnnn…" He mumbled with slurred words, mind spinning as the effects of the drug took hold. Nothing mattered in that moment as he lay on his best friend’s chest, listening to the man’s heartbeat and letting his mind get lost to the drug. This was a rare treat for both of them, something to take the edge off of a long life. How many rules have I broken with you Neren? Viaiss thought. They'd been friends for well over 20 years and every time he got in trouble, his friend wasn’t far behind. Though he found no reason to complain about this, the memories were fun enough to forget about the punishments that followed.

Hands found themselves tangling in the other’s messy brown hair. "Runaway… 'ith mmmmee…" The slurred voice of Hirilin sounded, causing a longing ache to settle itself into Viaiss' chest. Gods knew how badly he wanted to, but he had a duty to serve and a life that was set for him.

He could barely muster the energy to lift his head, but he forced his body to move up along the other. Settling when he was at the crook of his friend’s neck. "Want to." Viaiss could barely huff out the words, his mind nothing more than jumbled fog. "So bad…" He lifted his head and kissed the other, sloppy but it had made a point. "Love you… so much…" He dropped his head back down, every part of his body felt like it was being dragged through sand. 

Hirilin breathed out softly, hands resting on the other man's back. “Love you too. Never… leave mmmy side. Please…”

Viaiss nodded into the man's neck. “Never. Promise.” Even just thinking was getting too hard for the men as they lay on the ground. The commander finally let the skooma high drag him into a deep sleep, knowing his lover would be able to get back to the barracks before morning.


End file.
